Misguided Ghosts
by y0ur-DoWnFaLl
Summary: Mai, now a 20 year old student and part-timer, faces the changes in her life after the closing of SPR and takes what life throws at her one day at a time. Follow Mai & Co. as she deals with ghosts, studying and boys.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, guys. Let's give this a go. This is my first story, so don't be too harsh. **

* * *

Chapter 1

The wind blowing through her hair always seemed to bring a smile to Mai's face.

Whether it be the hot summer breeze bringing with it humidity and the sweltering heat, the sweet spring breeze that made her feel light and carefree, or the colourful autumn breeze that made her want to dance among the bronze leaves of fall; Mai loved the wind.

However, her favourite season of all had to be winter, Mai favouring the chilling winds the most.

Not many seemed to enjoy the frost of winter or its harsh winds, but Mai loved the spine-tingling feeling of the freezing cold winds flying up her back and through her hair, making the short strands twirl around her chin and bringing a sweet smile to her face, snow dancing through-out the street and the air.

Yes, winter was definitely her favourite out of all the seasons.

Closing her eyes as another gust came sweeping through the street, Mai tucked her face into her oriental-patterned scarf with a twitch of her lips, tucked her hands deeper into her pockets of her military blue coat and continued trudging through the streets of Shibuya.

Now at 20 years old, Mai had matured greatly in the 4 years since Naru had packed up back to Britain. Now standing at 5'6" with her light brown strands sitting barely an inch above her shoulders, Mai had become a woman with healthy curves; toned thighs and calves and wide hips that curved into a flat stomach. Satisfied with her B-cup breasts and her not quite-so-cooperative skin, Mai was like every other woman in regards to their body; she'd trade a lot of things, but she'd deal with it.

However, though her body had changed, some things about Mai were the same.

She was still a professional 'trip-over-flat-surfaces' girl and a Class-A 'fall-up-the-stairs champion'. She still dearly loved to laugh and enjoy the simple things in life, because what was the point in wasting our time worrying over things? Her temper could still rival that of the Hulk at times when she believed herself right (which was most of the time) but her kindness and compassion always shined through.

But again, with age, Mai had matured greatly in regards to the world around her. Working at SPR, though demonstrating that the world was hiding some unspeakable horrors, had opened her eyes to a whole new world and it's realities. She liked to believe she was not as naïve as she once had been. She could see that there wasn't always kindness in peoples actions, but she could also see that not all actions were intended to be cruel.

Also, her powers began to mature with her age. She knew she had slight latent ESP when she demonstrated intuition in past cases with a few cases of Astral Projection, but as time went on, the lack of use of her powers seemed to make them grow so much more.

At odd times, she found her powers seemed to flare. One time she even found herself putting her hand through her desk at home, causing to panic excessively and took hours before she managed to get it out again.

Also, she seemed to have developed psychic power in channeling, nearly giving her heart attacks when she would observe spirits roaming downtown Tokyo like they were on their way to work, or when she'd be working and she'd feel an icy touch down her spine from a spirit wandering too close.

Mai tried not to cause herself untoward trouble by trying to help every single spirit that she saw. She knew it would be impossible and that some just didn't want to leave this plane of existence

Now a second year in University, Mai was studying towards her degree in Psychology while taking a few courses in Commerce. Working at SPR had made her fascinated towards the workings of the mind and hopefully, if all goes well, she was aiming towards studying a higher degree in Parapsychology once she completed her Psychology Degree.

Though SPR had closed, the members (excluding Lin and Naru) had kept in close contact. Bou-san and Ayako always seemed to close by to have lunch with or see a movie, especially since they were an item now. Bou-san was still her spastic older brother and Ayako the supreme and powerful older sister, and made sure she remembered it when they frantically doted on her when the entire flu season seemed to infect just her.

John, the lovable priest from Australia, decided to stay permanently in Japan while working at the orphanage (which he took great enjoyment in). He often joined the group for pizza and movie nights where Mai and Bou-san liked to feast thoroughly on their spoils of garlic bread and Harribo gummy bears while Ayako watched in disgust and John contently ate in silence.

Masako wasn't heard from much. On and off, one of the group seemed to bump into her at a coffee shop or see her on tv, but other than that, she seemed quite content to cut all ties with the group once Naru left for England.

And good ol' Yasuhara was still around. Since Mai and Yasu were attending the same University, they often met up for lunch or had study sessions in the library where they would often split up and savagely look for an empty table, guarding it with their lives once found while on the phone telling the other of their location. Library tables were scarce and students were often desperate in their need to defend their territory.

Also, they could guard each other's things while the other used the bathroom.

Mai's little family was quite perfect and she wouldn't change any of them for the world. Though she missed her parents, the ache was soothed with her new family and allowed her to continue enjoying life.

The departure of Naru and Lin was hard.

So very hard.

Mai cried for days after they left. Naru had shot down her confession, accusing her of loving his brother, having no doubt that she did. But the truth was:

She didn't love Gene like that.

Oh, don't get her wrong. She loved Gene dearly, but as a friend. As the years went on, it became clear that she truly did love Naru. So much.

But the hard truth was that he didn't love her.

That's probably what hurt her the most. Knowing that she loved someone so dearly and they didn't want you, it made Mai feel ill.

But as Mai grew older, it became easier to bear until it became clear that if Naru didn't want her; then it was his loss.

There was no use in pining after him when she could move on and be happy. So she did.

She grew and she burned brighter than ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"What're you doing?" Mai grumbled as she stared deadpan at Yasu as they sat at the table in the Library that they managed to snag before a freshman and her would-be-boyfriend could take to suck faces at.

Yasu turned his head to look behind himself questioningly, before turning to look at Mai, "Who, me?" he said, pointing towards himself with a seemingly innocent look on his face.

Mai's eyes narrowed into slits while she sat silently staring at Yasu, who dropped his innocent act and went back to weaving paper clips into her hair cheerfully while platting some strands together, humming a song under his breath.

Mai sighed before closing her eyes and praying for patience. Mai and Yasuhara's friendship was odd at best and often times bordered on 'best girly friends' to 'brother and sister hatred'. The lengths they would go to irritate each other was great, and even after four years, it didn't look like it would change.

Mai let him continue, doubting he could do much damage, and continued writing notes from her psychology textbook onto her notebook, starting to find it oddly soothing as his fingers combed through his hair.

It was a Friday afternoon and the end of their school week before the break began. Wanting to get her readings out of the way before the break so it could be enjoyed to its fullest, Mai decided to camp it out in the library, with Yasu tagging along claiming to have the same motive.

Lies.

As soon as they sat at the table they managed to pilfer, Yasu pulled out his textbooks before deciding he had had enough.

'And I though I was the lazy one', Mai thought amused.

Reading through the last line and taking note of it, Mai slammed the book shut before swiveling around in her chair to stare directly at Yasu, crossing one leg over the other before relaxing back into her chair, arms crossed.

Yasu pouted, dropping the paper clip in his hand into his pencil case before speaking, "So, you're done?", while leaning back into his chair as well, copying Mai's stance, his lips twitching fractionally.

"Maybe", Mai replied.

Yasu took that as confirmation before springing up while slamming books closed and throwing them into their respective bags, causing other students to turn their heads and glare, which Mai returned with an apologetic look.

Slowly standing up and stretching, Mai grabbed the bag Yasu offered before proceeding to make the trek down to the exit. Once outside, both Mai and Yasu wrapped themselves in their coats and scarves before continuing through the snow onto the footpath leading to the train station.

"So." Yasu said, causing Mai to turn her head and stare in question.

"'So'?" Mai prodded.

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" Mai said, looking at him oddly.

Yasu stared seriously at her for a while before looking forward again and smiling brightly, "Nothing! Nevermind!"

Mai stared at him strangely before shrugging and letting it go. She was too tired to care.

"So, do you have work?" Yasu queried with a skip in his step.

"Mmhmm", Mai nodded, lightly hopping over puddles, not wanting to test the durability of her boots.

Though being given a partial scholarship due to her circumstances, Mai still had to take out loans to pay the rest and refused to be burdened with them, so decided to work two part-time jobs. One was working as a secretary for a lawyer on and off, most work being able to be done at home while coming in a few times a week to give him new documents and make sure everything was in working order. Her other job was working at a café in Shibuya, allowing her to study during the day and work at night.

It was a lot of work, but it wasn't overwhelming and helped her cover expenses and to gradually pay off her loan.

"You finish at 8pm, right? Bou-san said there was something he wanted to talk to us about and wants us to meet at his place tonight", Yasu said casually as they approached the train station.

"What for?"

Yasu made an unsure noise as they swiped their cards to get through the barrier onto the platforms.

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you then?" Mai asked more than said as she started heading for her platform while walking backwards.

Yasu saluted her before heading in the opposite direction, hands buried in his pockets and a hop to his step.

Mai continued on her way before boarding her train and on her way to a little café in Shibuya called 'Enigma'.

* * *

Mai smiled as her last customer walked out the door before heading over to clean her table, putting the dirty dishes in the kitchen for the busboy to handle and heading over to put her apron away in the back office where the owner was typing away on her computer.

"You done for the day, dearie?" the owner of the café, a sweet old lady by the name of Yuki asked as she turned from her computer.

"Mmhmm", Mai said cheerfully before picking up her coat and bag and waving to Yuki as she left the room.

Heading towards the train station, Mai enjoyed the cool wind passing through the streets and the crunch of the snow that had fallen earlier, straying towards the more populated streets on the way to the station.

Once on the train, Mai closed her eyes tiredly while grabbing the handrail above her head, swaying gently back and forth with the train before opening her eyes as the stop for Bou-san came up.

Finally making it to Bou-sans apartment block, Mai made her way through the door and up the stairs to the 8th floor. Finally at his door, slightly out of breath and grumbling about the lack of elevator, Mai knocked on the door and waited.

Talking could be heard from the other side, which stopped abruptly once she knocked. Leaning on the door jam waiting, the door finally was opened by a rather cheerful Yasu who caught her once her support left her.

"Maaaaai!" Yasu cooed to her as he scooped her up into his arms and squished her to his chest, rubbing his cheek against hers.

"Ugh", Mai grunted as her feet left the ground, feeling precious oxygen leave her lungs. "Ya-su. Ne-ed ai-r", she wheezed.

While chuckling, Yasu deposited her onto the ground before his place was quickly taken by Bou-san who, just like Yasu, picked her up while squishing the oxygen out of her, causing her to squeak. Swaying her back and forth while rubbing his stubbly cheek against hers, he finally let her down once Ayako intervened, who gently wrapped her in her arms, letting her rest her tired head against her shoulder, letting Ayako's soothing scent wrap her in a cocoon on warmth and lavender.

Once Ayako moved on, John gently came forward to give her a brief but tender hug before moving back to his seat. After everyone had given her their welcome, Ayako ushered her over to a couch in the main room where Yasu was waiting.

As soon as she sat down, she once again was wrapped in a Yasu blanket, who knew how tired she was. Mai gently closed her eyes while listening to the rumble of voices in the background. Hearing a clink of china, Mai opened her eyes to see Ayako deposit a cup of tea in front of her. Looking at her in gratitude, Mai scooped it up before taking a long, grateful sip.

Leaning back into the couch, Mai looked expectantly to Bou-san. "So, what's this about?"

Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together, Bou-san looked towards her seriously.

"How do you feel about getting back into Ghost Hunting?"

Mai looked at him confused. "What do you mean?" Mai began. "The business is gone, and I doubt we'd be very successful as an independent group without any equipment or contacts"

Bou-san started to look nervous, rubbing his hands together while looking around the room before his eyes seemed to land on something behind her.

Staring at him before turning to look at what he was staring at, Mai realized it wasn't a 'what' but a 'who'.

And that's when Mai felt her heart sink and the blood drain from her face simultaneously.

Not standing 10 feet away from her leaning casually against the window, his mouth tilted into a smirk, was Naru.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Mai couldn't move her eyes from him as she ran her eyes over him looking for any differences.

He had become a man.

Standing more than six feet, Naru had become more solid in build but still retaining his lean physique. Wearing his normal black slacks, but with a light blue button up shirt with his black blazer over the top, his fashion hadn't changed much. Moving her eyes further up, she could see that his jaw had become more pronounced and he had lost some of his baby fat. His hair was still the same, maybe a little longer, almost as if he needed a trim but not quite.

And then his eyes.

The eyes she always remembered as being stony and cold as the winter she so loved, were warmer than she remembered, though not obviously so as that a stranger would be able to tell. But to Mai, she could see it. His mouth, usually pursed and tilted down was tilted up slightly to give a crooked smirk, making him look like his usual cocky self.

Finally done with her perusal of him, Mai calmly turned to face forward again, looking towards the worried faces of her friends.

Leaning forward and gently setting the teacup on the table, Mai smoothly stood from her seat, grabbed her bag from the ground before effortlessly moving towards the door.

Reaching the door, Mai finally grasped the doorknob and tried to open it, but it refused. Looking down, Mai finally noticed the keyhole and came to her own conclusions.

"Bou-san, unlock the door", Mai gritted out while facing the door, hand tightening on the doorknob.

She could hear him stand up, "Mai, let's-",

"_Open_ the _goddamn door_, Bou-san", she gritted out before leaning her head against the door and sighing when she heard no further movement from behind her.

She was so tired. She just wanted to go home and curl up in bed under her warm sheets with her electric blanket. Why was this happening now? She was better now. She didn't need him. She needed to be strong.

Hearing no movement behind her, Mai once again sighed before heaving herself off the door and walking back to her seat next to Yasu who tried to grab her hand before she slapped it away.

'He knew', she thought. He knew and didn't tell her. He let them trap her like this.

Yasu recoiled his hand with a wounded look before putting it on his lap. He recognized she was mad at him and decided to leave well enough alone.

Looking up, face tired, but determinedly clear of emotion, Mai waited.

'Don't you dare crumble', she grumbled in her mind, 'Don't you dare forgive him'.

Finally hearing movement behind her, she saw Lin in the corner of her eye walk around her couch before, surprisingly, sitting next to her. Naru strode across the floor and sat on the armchair next to the couch, closer to Lin on her left.

Keeping her gaze forward, shoulders back, chin up, face like stone, Mai said a simple "No",

Stuttering, Bou-san grasped at straws, "But Jou-chan! We need you! Please, it can be like old times!" he pleaded.

"Are you forgetting I already have two jobs on top of my course work? No, Bou-san. I have other commitments. You'll be fine without me," she explained calmly, refusing to give in.

"Mai, this isn't just for us. You need this too. Your powers are-" Bou-san began.

"Don't", Mai hissed, sending a look of warning to him.

"No, Mai. You think I haven't noticed your powers increasing? I saw you put your hand through a _table_, Mai. A _table._" Bou-san emphasized, Lin and Naru's eyes widening fractionally.

Mai winced, remembering the incident. She knew her powers were flaring up randomly, but it wasn't a big deal. Really. It wasn't hurting anyone.

"That's my business," Mai explained, "Don't worry about that. It's fine."

Bou-san looked like he was working himself into a frenzy, his face reddening, before Ayako calmly interjected, resting a hand over Bou-sans, calming him down.

"It's not that simple, Mai", she began gently, her gaze focusing on Mai, "You can't leave them like that. At the rate they're growing, they could seriously hurt you. People have gone insane with less power than you."

"If you can use them again during cases, train them, then you'll be safer. There'll be less danger", Bou-san interjected, much calmer than before.

Mai sighed, leaning forward and rubbing her temples trying to release the headache building up.

"Okay, I get that, but like I said; I already have two jobs. Good jobs. Plus I have classes," Mai went on to explain, desperate to get out of it.

Mai finally heard the voice she had been dreading begin talking from her left, "You would be on your previous salary, plus more since you'd be an investigator rather than our secretary" his rumbled in smooth Japanese, a hint of his British accent seeping through. "I'm sure that would more than compensate", he finished.

She could feel his eyes burning into the side of her head, but she refused to look at him. She was so _mad_ at him. She wouldn't give him the privilege.

Yasu finally spoke up. "Well, we're on holidays right now. So classes won't be a problem. And wouldn't you rather hunt ghosts than serve coffee?" he argued, wiggling his eyebrows up and down, mouth spread into a grin.

Mai just glared at him. 'He still isn't forgiven either', she thought darkly. Yasu seemed to wilt a little under her fierce gaze.

Mai closed her eyes, leaning her head into her palm. Her mind wouldn't stop scrambling. Her resolve was slipping. She couldn't lie to herself about one thing, because _God_, she _missed _investigating. It just wasn't the same without it. But she was really getting used to being without it at this point. It had been 4 years, after all.

But, there was one thing she was sure of. No more pining after Naru. _If _she did this, she would _not_ do that to herself again. The only real negative seemed to be working with Naru. _But, _no more weird working hours, better salary, spending more time with the group. So many benefits. She wanted to accept so badly, but she couldn't just give in that easily.

And she couldn't decide with all these eyes on her, she could practically feel them burning into her head.

Finally standing, Mai locked eyes with Bou-san. "I'll think about it," she said, picking up her bag.

"Bu-", Bou-san began.

"This is the most you're going to get out of me tonight. I'm tired. I want to go home," Mai interrupted him, giving him a tired look.

Bou-san gave her a searching look before looking around to the others and nodding to himself.

"Okay. I'll take that", he grinned, producing a key from his pocket and walking towards the door.

Mai, finally strode to the now open door, her boots clacking against the hardwood floor and her coat rustling as she tightened it, preparing for the frigid winds.

She heard movement behind her, and turned to see Naru standing with his hands in his pockets and his calculating eyes locked onto her.

"I'll give you a lift", he said, while slowly starting forward.

'Is he stupid?' Mai squinted at him 'what's his game?'

After a second or two, Mai finally tilted her head up with a saccharine smile, peering up towards Naru.

Everyone seemed to lean forward in preparation for her answer.

Taking a breath, her smile still firmly in place, Mai replied.

"No,"

Naru paused in his steps, "Thank you," she finished sarcastically, her smile finally dropping from her face and spinning on her heal and making her way out of the apartment.

Hearing footsteps, she spun around "No!" she shouted while pointing at a frozen Yasu, who had started to follow her out, "Don't even try it."

Yasu pulled a wounded face, but Mai wouldn't be swayed. At this point, she wasn't speaking to any of them.

Finally making her way out of the doorway and down the eight flights of stairs while pulling on her gloves, Mai finally made it out of the entrance and disappeared into the frigid and white night, her footprints leaving a trail behind her.

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**Wow, guys! I'm so happy by the response for my first story! I'm still learning, but the more reviews I receive, the more encouraged I'll be to write more chapters! So please, review. :)**

So to all those who reviewed; a big thanks to you! ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.**

Mai's eyes snapped open before she gazed around groggily, finally realizing she was in her bed at home, tucked under the many layers of her blankets with the windows beginning to fog from the cold outside.

Slowly inching a hand out of her cocoon, Mai felt around her bedside table before finally feeling the cool plastic of her alarm. After finding the largest button available, Mai promptly slammed down onto it, quieting the screeching.

Rolling onto her other side, Mai stretched like a cat, toes pointed straight out, and heard a satisfying set of cracks before facing the window. Sighing and curling back into a ball, Mai stared into the dim light shining through to try and convince herself to stay awake. She had a lot of thinking to do today and it wouldn't do to stay in bed and be lazy.

After she had arrived home at the late hour last night, Mai had promptly skipped dinner and put herself to bed, not letting her mind to work itself up into a stressed state, otherwise she wouldn't be able to sleep.

However, it was the next day, and it was time to do some serious thinking.

Finally untangling herself from the sheets, Mai promptly sprinted across the room to the bathroom.

"Son of a mother _trucking _son of a _waffle_", Mai hissed her feet touched the freezing tiles, hopping over to stand on the lone mat in the bathroom.

Starting the shower while hopping from foot to foot, Mai tried to cling to the warmth that lingered from her bed and waited for the water to heat up. Once the shower finally heated up, she stripped and jumped into the steaming shower, a sigh of pleasure slipping from her lips.

After washing her hair and scrubbing her body down in her favourite vanilla scented bodywash, Mai finally hopped out of the shower and toweled herself off. Walking into her closet after donning her underwear, Mai selected a thick pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a long, flowing white long sleeved blouse, coupled with a black blazer. Layering two pairs of socks and putting a pair of delicate silver hoops into her ears, Mai finally made her way out of her bedroom and into the kitchen.

Sitting herself down with a bowl of cereal while turning on the tv for background noise, the first thing that popped on was the morning news, so Mai left it while chewing on her cereal.

"_Again, another woman has gone missing from the Hokkaido prefecture, specifically the Chitose region_," the news reporter began, standing in front of a small town, the random passersby walking behind the camera, "_This being the seventh missing woman in the past 6 months. Authorities are still investigating and refuse to reveal anything further at this point in the case. However, it has been speculated that the women probably ran away or have simply forgotten to contact their family as there doesn't seem to be any foul play_"

Mai continued chewing while vaguely listening to the TV, looking down at her timesheet for her hours at the café.

'What do I do?' she sighed, scooping another spoonful of cereal into her mouth. 'Should I do it?'

She could hear a voice in the back of her mind urging her on 'Do it!', it fiercely said, Mai imagining it being her in miniature form, her fist shaking back and forth. 'Who cares about Naru-bou?' it scoffed, mini-me flicking her hair back in a huff, 'This is for you, you get to spend time with everyone and get to exercise your powers! It's a win-win!' she shouted triumphantly in her mind, standing tall and confident, hands perched on her hip.

"Yeah!" Mai shouted out loud while pumping a fist, standing from the table and bringing her bowl to the sink while grabbing her coat and scarf and slipping them on.

'Time to stick it to the man!' she thought, skipping confidently out the door.

* * *

"I'm so sorry!" Mai said, bowing deeply, her hair falling around her face, "I know it's sudden, I'll still work on a casual basis whenever you need me, but an opportunity showed up that I can't refuse!" she finished, her head still bowed and eyes averted.

Yuki stared at Mai from over her desk with a startled look on her face before it morphed in a gentle, indulgent smile.

"Dearie, it's not a problem. I understand and it won't be a problem. It's the slow season and we still have plenty of workers who would love the extra hours, so don't worry yourself!" she finished resolutely, a pleasant grin spread across her aged face, waving her hand up and down, as if to bat away Mai's worries.

Mai worried her lip between her teeth while straightening, still unsure.

"Are you sure? I can continue until you have a new employee if you like…" she mumbled, unsure.

"Nonsense!" Yuki concluded, clapping her hands together. "Now, you go get that job of yours! If you'd like to still work casually, that's entirely up to you dearie. There will always be a place for you here," Yuki chided gently, a teasing glint in her eye.

Mai stared unsure before her face broke into a brilliant smile, her eyes shining, "Arigato!" she finally breathed out, bowing once again, before collecting her things and making her way out of the office.

After settling the issues with her previous part time jobs, Mai was now officially free. Though, for a short time.

It was now or never.

Walking out into the white streets of Shibuya, the falling snow giving a brief respite as people went about their business, Mai finally pulled out her phone, a gift a few years back from Ayako and Bou-san for her birthday, scrolling through her contacts, hovering her thumb over the call button a moment before finally pressing it.

Finally hearing it ring in her ear, she finally heard a click

"_Hellooo?" _a cheerful voice chimed from the other side, Bou-sans flamboyant nature heard clear through the speaker.

"I'll do it," Mai said without preamble, her tone clear of inflection while gazing out onto the empty street.

"_Eh…? Really?! That's great!" _he sputtered from the other side, his cheer obvious, "_I'll tell Naru-bou!" _he finished, before she heard the dial tone from the other end.

Mai stared at the phone, her faced scrunched in confusion before putting her phone back into her pocket, before it started to abruptly ring again, causing her to drop it into the snow.

"Crap!" she swore to herself, before digging in the snow and finally finding her phone, holding it triumphantly in the air, then pressing the answer button.

"Moshi moshi?" Mai answered after clearing her throat and composing herself.

"_Mai",_ she heard in reply, a shiver racking up her spine which had nothing to do with the cold.

"Naru…", she replied carefully and with a deadpan look set upon her face, "What can I do for you?"

_"I just thought you should know" _he began smoothly, his voice deep, smooth and bordering on rumbling, "_That we have a case and-"_

"Eh?! Already?" Mai sputtered in reply, cutting Naru off.

_"-we leave tomorrow",_ he finished as if Mai never interrupted, Mai huffing in exasperation.

"_Pack for at least a week and meet at the office at 6am"._

Grumbling under her breath before finally answering, "Is that all, you highness?" she snarked, a glare set upon her face while looking into space.

_"No,"_ he surprised Mai by answering, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion, _"There's one more thing,"_ he rumbled in her ear smoothly, Mai's glare deepening.

'What else could he possible want', her inner voice commented, 'My soul?' she snarked.

"Get off the ground," Mai heard abruptly from her left, causing her to squeal and lose her seat, making her sink further in the snow where she had been crouching, a look of dawning horror beginning to surface on her face.

"Naru…" Mai growled from the ground, snow piled around her and her glare firmly re-attached while looking up towards the bane of her existence.

Naru stood towering over her small frame, a smirk tilting his lips handsomely with his hands stuffed deep into his pockets of his black coat, a blue scarf tucked carefully around his neck, standing tall with his hair fluttering around his eyes from the passing wind.

"Bastard…", Mai muttered under her breath, while attempting to pull herself out of the snow, starting to feel it seep through her clothes, "Don't rush to help me…" she continued muttering.

After attempting and failing to pull herself up without slipping, Mai finally flopped back into the snow in defeat.

"Just leave me here", she groaned pitifully, "Save yourself", she muttered sarcastically.

Before she could get a reply, she heard steps coming down the sidewalk.

"Mai!" a new voice called.

Popping her head up comically and with difficulty while looking past Naru, Mai could faintly spot a new person making their way towards them, walking faster when they noticed it was actually her.

"Are you okay?" they asked in concern, finally kneeling down beside her. With the sun behind his head, Mai had to squint but finally realized who it was.

"Shouta-san?" Mai questioned vaguely, finally matching the face and voice to one of the boys from her classes at university who had always been kind to her.

Shouta stood roughly at six feet, standing just below Naru and had a kind air about him. With dark brown hair and green eyes, Shouta was a handsome man and yet acted like he didn't know it, for he never seemed to notice the multiple girls pining after him around campus.

Chuckling while gazing down at Mai, he answered, "Yeah," his eyes tracing her form in the snow, "What're you doing?" he continued to chuckle, his eyes crinkled with laughter.

Mai gave a huff, "Oh, you know", she began, "just _chilling_", she said, giving an exaggerated wink while shriveling up inside at her bad pun.

Shouta's face broke out into a bigger smile, his chuckle turning into a laugh, making Mai feel a bit better.

"Oh, I can see that," he began, finally stopping his chuckles, "Need some help?" he said, finally taking pity on her cold form, starting to notice the shivers racking her body.

"Please", Mai finally sighed, reaching a hand in front of her, waiting for assistance.

However, what she wasn't prepared for was the pair of hands that gripped her waist, pulling her easily out of the snow, before gently setting her down on her feet.

"There", Shouta chuckled, a smile curving his lips while he brushed the snow from her coat. "Better?"

"Er…", Mai could only utter while staring in response before finally snapping out of her surprised stupor, "Ugh. Oh! Yes! Thank you very much Shouta-san!" she said before bowing at her waist to show her thanks, he hair trailing into her eyes.

"No problem, Mai", he grinned sincerely before looking at something behind Mai, eyebrows raised.

Mai stared at him in confusion before turning to look behind her, only to find Naru inches from her back, staring directly into Shouta's eyes, an unpleasant look in his eyes.

"Er…?" Mai began perplexed.

"Oh," Shouta began politely, "I'm sorry. Is this your boyfriend, Mai?"

Mai seemed to begin choking on air for a moment before she blurted out a "No!", with a snort, covering her nose with her hand afterwards, unbelieving that that noise came from her.

"No, uh, he's my boss. Shouta, meet Shibuya Kazuya," Mai began, stepping out from between the two males, "_Shibuya-san_" Mai emphasized his name, his glaring eyes snapping down to her face, "Meet Ono Shouta".

Shouta seemed to perk up, his smile brightening again, "Nice to meet you, Shibuya-san", bringing a hand up to shake Naru's hand.

Naru just stared at the hand offered to him for a moment before finally grasping it, replying in kind, "And you Ono-san", a seemingly sincere smile tilting his mouth.

However, Shouta's face seemed to twitch as if strained, before Mai realized what Naru was doing and reacting in kind.

Mai promptly stomped down on his foot with the heel of her boot, a smile tilting her face.

"Oh, Shibuya-san!" Mai began sweetly, an innocent smile covering her face while tucking her hands behind her back, "There was a bug on your shoe!" she continued, feeling immense satisfaction after he dropped Shouta's abused hand in response, his smile still fixed in place but now accompanied with a glare and directed towards her, his eyes fiercely burning into her.

"It's okay, though", she lilted, a satisfied smile on her face, feeling immensely satisfied with herself.

"I got it", she finished, now fully facing Naru who had turned to face her as well, a challenging glint in both of their eyes, both refusing to back down. Still feeling pleased with herself, Mai finally turned away.

"Anyway!" Mai said, turning towards to the two males, "I better be going! I'll see you after the holidays, okay Shouta-san?" she directed towards Shouta.

Shouta replied in kind to both Mai and Naru before taking his leave.

Mai could feel Naru's eyes burning into the back of her head, but refused to look at him, so she spun on her heal before promptly kicking her ass into gear, not stupid enough to wait for retribution.

"Bye, Shibuya-san!" Mai crooned over her shoulder, slipping her handbag back onto her shoulder while striding confidently down the sidewalk, a swing in her step and a smirk on her face.

"6am. Remember, Mai", Naru called to her retreating form, while Mai waved a hand over her shoulder.

After finally getting home after taking the train, Mai flopped down heavily onto her bed, still donned in her coat and scarf, and a smirk still firmly attached to her face.

"What a fantastic day", she hummed to herself, satisfaction seeping from her every pore, before getting up to find her suitcase and begin packing.

She had a big day tomorrow, after all.

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**Oh, my god, guys! Your response has been AWESOME! The more reviews I receive, the more I will write, so remember to review guys!**

Just want to give a big thanks to Ferb , Iloveanimex, EverlastingRyo, SupernaturalGirl51799, XXluvyaforevaXX, celtyin, RieveVonBielefeld-YuunaSouma and for reviewing! All the reviews made me want to write more chapters, so kudos to you guys!

Hope you guys are enjoying it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Just in case it wasn't clear before: I don't own any of the Ghost Hunt characters and the rating is at T at the moment so there might be swearing in further chapters. **

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 5**

"Crap!"

Sliding across the wooden floors in her socks, Mai leaped over her solitary duffle bag before running towards the bathroom before, unfortunately, slamming straight into the closed bathroom door.

"For fu-hu-dge sakes", Mai hissed to herself, quickly corrected herself while gently moving away from the door, cradling her abused ribs where the doorknob had decided to make itself home.

Quickly shaking off the pain, Mai opened the door before leaping into the bathroom, grabbing all necessary toiletries before stuffing them into the little bag reserved for them before throwing said bag across the room, it conveniently landing directly into her duffle, Mai throwing her hands up in a silent victory cheer.

Looking around the room to confirm that she had collected all necessary items for her week long stay. Everything seemed to be in order before Mai looked back down at the watch on her wrist, another curse escaping her realizing she had limited time to actually catch a train and make it to the SPR office.

Quickly donning her coat, scarf, beanie and gloves, Mai pulled her bag over her shoulder before locking up the apartment, already starting to worry if she left the stove on. It'd been a long while since she'd left the apartment for more than a day or two, technically she hadn't left that long since SPR was open.

Briefly shaking the worrying thoughts from her addled mind, Mai flew down the apartment steps before hurrying towards the train station, struggling against the combination of snow, wind and her heavy duffle bag.

* * *

Climbing up the steps of the SPR office, Mai hovered her hand over the doorknob, her hand beginning to shake, not in fear, but in anticipation.

'God, it's been so long', she thought nostalgically, familiar feelings from the past beginning to wash over her. Anticipation, fear, excitement, happiness. These feelings were rushing over like the rising tide, but she didn't feel overwhelmed.

She felt right at home.

Just as Mai grasped the doorknob to open the door, she suddenly found herself jerked forward as the door flew inwards, taking Mai and her duffle bag with her.

"Son of a-" Mai yelped, quickly finding herself on the carpeted floor, yelping again when her bag landing heavily on her hip.

"Ugh", Mai grunted, rolling herself over onto her back while shoving her bag off of her hip.

Finally opening her eyes to look skyward, Mai found a mischievous pair of grey eyes behind a pair of thin-framed glasses looking down on her, a blinding smile covering his lips.

"Yasu," Mai growled, a glare directed up at him.

"Mai!" yelped happily, before the glint in his eyes began to strengthen, a sly smile covering his face.

"Don't. You. _Dare." _Mai hissed, warning him and knowing exactly his train of thought. If he even _dared-_

Mai felt the air leave her lungs as a heavy body fell forward onto her, arms wrapping around her tiny form, compared to his.

"_Mai!"_ Yasuhara crooned, while rubbing his cheek against hers, "I've missed yoooou. Why haven't you replied to my messages?" he whined in her ear pitifully.

Finally managing to work her arms under his body, "Get off, fatty", she grunted succeeding in shoving his body off of hers, finally sucking in the sweet, live-giving air.

Hearing the thump of Yasuhara landing beside her, Mai rolled back onto her feet before placing her heavy bag on Yasuhara's back, hearing him wail behind her "Maaaaaaai!"

Finally turning to look around the room, she found the whole group staring at her, some in amusement, and others in exasperation.

"Hey, baka!" Bou-san yelled at a still wailing Yasuhara, "Stay away from my sweet Mai-chan!" he threatened, while wagging a finger at Yasuhara.

Finally finished in his wailing, Yasuhara leapt to his feet after pushing the bag off his back easily, walking confidently over to Bou-san before kneeling down in front of him, clasping one of his hands tightly in both of his.

"Oh, Bou-chan", he crooned, "don't be jealous. You're still the only man for me", he finished before leaning in to caress Bou-sans face, which was turning a shade of green.

Finally slapping the hand away, Bou-san simply pointed a finger while glaring at a chuckling Yasuhara, before sitting back down next to Ayako.

Mai rolled her eyes before making her way over to the free couch away from the pair and across from Lin, Naru and surprisingly Masako, who still appeared the same, maybe having grown a few inches and lost some of her baby fat, Masako still appeared as an elegant yet creepy little doll, holding her sleeve up towards her mouth, her eyes glaring at Mai.

With a shiver racking her spine, Mai finally turned away and looked to her left, seeing John sitting in his own chair quietly with a smile on his face.

"John!" my crowed happily, standing up to meet the man halfway and enfolding the man in her arms, who in turn tucked her firmly to his chest, a happy chuckle rumbling in his chest which Mai had her head rested against.

"It's so good to see you!" she said after finally pulling away, patting him on the arm and fixing his shaggy hair for him, John replying in kind.

Hearing a clearing of a throat behind her, Mai rolled her eyes before smiling at John and moving towards the empty couch and taking a seat by the arm of the chair. However, her other side way quickly filled by Yasuhara, who stole all personal space she had and then some, snuggling down into her side and pushing her crossed legs even further into the arm of the couch.

Giving him an exasperated look, Mai finally looked across the room and calmly met Naru's eyes, vaguely seeing in the corner of her eye Bou-san pointing a threatening finger at Yasuhara, who seemed to relish in the threat by squishing Mai even further.

Naru swept his gaze over the group before nodding towards Lin who pulled out five folders from a pile on the table, and handing them out to each person.

Smiling at Lin after receiving her copy, Mai jammed her elbow into Yasuhara's side, who gave a yelp before moving over slightly to give her room to flip the file open.

The first page of the file seemed to contain copies of newspaper clippings, detailing the kidnapping of a girl in Hokkaido. But after looking underneath the first, it showed newspaper clippings of another six women that had gone missing, centering in the Chitose region. Mai's mind clicked, she had seen this on the news earlier.

It showed that none of them had shown back up after their disappearances, not even any bodies, but what all of them had in common was that they had been staying in a specific inn at the time; Nakamaru Ryokan, which had been open since the early 19th century and had been popular ever since. The inn laid a bit away from the town according to the map attached to the file, and was surrounded by a thriving forest which was known for its hunting and wildlife.

Not much more information appeared to be in the file other than what had been presented to the public.

"You all would have heard about the missing persons in Hokkaido," Naru said, more than asked, "all vanishing from Nakamaru Ryokan, a popular inn known for its relaxing environment and lavish design."

"So, is there something paranormal about these missing girls?" Bou-san asked skeptically.

"Yes, not that you would have heard anything broadcasted to the public." Naru confirmed, "The owners didn't want to scare away any potential customers than it already had" Mai and Bou-san shooting each other dry amused looks before directing their attention back to Naru. "For now, they've closed the inn for us to investigate."

"Okay," Mai began curiously, "So, what paranormal activity have they experienced?"

"Loud noises, lights and taps turning on and off, customers possessions going missing, seeing ghostly figures, cold spots, those are some of the activity they've experienced." Lin took over, reading from a file in his hand, "However, considering the disappearances that have also occurred, it brings the case into a more serious light," he said in his deep but quiet voice.

The group all agreed, a mutual hum echoing through the room.

"Before we go," Naru interjected, "you must be made aware that there is a higher level of danger concerning this case compared to the cases we have had in the past," he continued, "especially for the women", he concluded, looking pointedly at Ayako, Masako and Mai.

Mai and Ayako looked at each other before nodding. There would always be danger with this job, and this case wouldn't be any different. Bou-san looked ready to interject before Ayako pinched his thigh, promptly shutting him up.

Seeing no objections, Naru nodded to himself before standing, Lin collecting the necessary folders before walking to the back of the room.

"So," Mai began as everyone began grabbing their items, "are we driving or…?" she asked uncertainly, knowing it was a 16 hour drive just to get to Hokkaido.

Everyone seemed to pause before looking at each other, uncertain as well.

Naru turned before answering, while giving her a dry look "No, Mai", he smirked, "We'll be flying".

Mai's face turned blank before she nodded, turning towards Bou-san after Naru turned away.

"Do-Do I need a passport, or…?" Mai asked uncertainly.

Bou-san stared at Mai before his face broke out into a grin of realization, "Mai, you've never been on a plane before, have you?" he practically purred.

"N-no…?" she asked hesitantly before feeling her feet leave the ground, Bou-san rubbing his cheek against her head, messing her hair and making her cheek go red from the stubble on his chin.

"So cute," Bou-san mumbled gleefully to himself, before Ayako saved Mai by smacking him in the head with her purse.

"Aya!" he yelped, cowering from the hovering bag, "What was that for, hag?!"

"Stop molesting Mai!" she growled back.

"But she's never been on a plane before!" He yelled back, alerting everybody in the room of the fact now, causing Mai to groan and facepalm. Now it was public knowledge.

Before she knew it, she was surrounded. Yasu had Mai cradled in his arms who stood deadpan, cooing to her while Ayako patted her head, reassuring her that it would be fine. John just smiled by her elbow supportively.

"Guys. I'm not worried", she said exasperatedly while batting away the hands touching her, fixing her hair and straightening her clothes, "Don't we have to go?" she questioned.

Naru clicked his briefcase closed before turning and looking at his watch, nodding and telling everyone to go out front to the cars.

* * *

Standing in front of the cars while Bou-san put her bag in his car with the others, Mai waited for him to unlock the doors. Naru finally made his way down the steps before he began assigning people.

"Takigawa, you will take Matsuzaki-san, Brown-san, and Hara-san with you. Mai, you're with Lin and I in the van," Naru ordered while looking through the papers in his hand.

Masako glared at Mai who raised an eyebrow in return. If she wanted the seat she could have the goddamn seat.

Mai's eyelids drooped over her eyes in annoyance, "But I want to go in the fun car", she snarked at Naru, a small smirk titling her lips before raising an eyebrow at Masako, "want to swap?" she asked.

Masako raised an eyebrow before nodding sagely and sweeping her kimono across the ground towards to van, promptly sliding into the middle seat of the van.

Mai grinned before turning towards the car, getting a high-five from Bou-san, before slipping to the middle seat when Yasu made way for her by sweeping a hand towards the seat, John already sitting by the other door.

Once Mai found her seat and made herself comfortable, she looked out the windshield, catching Naru's glare from where he was standing stoic at the front of the car. 'Heh', Mai waved sarcastically from her seat sandwiched between the two men, making Naru's eyes narrow further.

'Have fun with Masako' she purred in her head.

Finally, when all the bags were loaded into the car, the equipment already being loaded to the van beforehand, the caravan of cars made their way to the airport.

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**Guys, you've made me so happy with your reviews and support. I had the biggest smile on my face when I read them when I woke up this morning.**

**Every review makes a difference and makes me post new chapters faster, so definitely keep 'em coming!**


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